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_#_Political parties and leaders:National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD) led by Jean-BertrandARISTIDE, including Congress of Democratic Movements (CONACOM), VictorBENOIT; National Konbite Movement (MKN), Volvick Remy JOSEPH;National Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP), a coalitionconsisting of Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti (MIDH),Marc BAZIN; National Progressive Revolutionary Party (PANPRA), SergeGILLES; and National Patriotic Movement of November 28 (MNP-28), DejeanBELIZAIRE;National Agricultural and Industrial Party (PAIN), Louis DEJOIE;Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN), Rene THEODORE;Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Sylvio CLAUDE;Assembly of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie MANIGAT;National Party of Labor (PNT), Thomas DESULME;Mobilization for National Development (MDN), Hubert DE RONCERAY;Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Haiti (MODELH), FrancoisLATORTUE;Haitian Social Christian Party (PSCH), Gregoire EUGENE;Movement for the Organization of the Country (MOP), Gesner COMEAU

_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with acentered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms which contains a palmtree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the mottoL'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)

_*_Economy_#_Overview: About 85% of the population live in abject poverty.Agriculture is mainly small-scale subsistence farming and employstwo-thirds of the work force. The majority of the population does nothave ready access to safe drinking water, adequate medical care, orsufficient food. Few social assistance programs exist, and the lack ofemployment opportunities remains one of the most critical problemsfacing the economy, along with soil erosion and political instability.

_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and bluewith five blue five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centeredin the white band; the stars represent the members of the former FederalRepublic of Central America--Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the flag of El Salvador whichfeatures a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE ELSALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; alsosimilar to the flag of Nicaragua which features a triangleencircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICACENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band

_*_Economy_#_Overview: Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the WesternHemisphere. Agriculture, the most important sector of the economy,accounts for nearly 30% of GDP, employs 62% of the labor force, andproduces two-thirds of exports. Productivity remains low. Industry,still in its early stages, employs nearly 9% of the labor force,accounts for 15% of GDP, and generates 20% of exports. The servicesectors, including public administration, account for 50% of GDP andemploy nearly 20% of the labor force. Basic problems facing theeconomy include rapid population growth, high unemployment, sharplyincreased inflation, a lack of basic services, a large and inefficientpublic sector, and the dependence of the export sector mostly on coffeeand bananas, which are subject to sharp price fluctuations. Despitegovernment efforts at reform and large-scale foreign assistance, theeconomy still is unable to take advantage of its sizable naturalresources.

_#_Agriculture: most important sector, accounting for nearly 30% ofGDP, over 60% of the labor force, and two-thirds of exports; principalproducts include bananas, coffee, timber, beef, citrus fruit, shrimp;importer of wheat

_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated onsmall plots and used principally for local consumption; transshipmentpoint for cocaine

_#_Type: dependent territory of the UK; scheduled to revert toChina in 1997

_#_Capital: Victoria

_#_Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)

_#_Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK); the UKsigned an agreement with China on 19 December 1984 to return Hong Kong toChina on 1 July 1997; in the joint declaration, China promises to respectHong Kong's existing social and economic systems and lifestyle for 50years after transition

_#_Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law andpractice; new Basic Law approved in March 1990 in preparation for 1997

_#_Legal system: based on English common law

_#_National holiday: Liberation Day, 29 August (1945)

_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor, chief secretary of theExecutive Council

_#_Legislative branch: Legislative Council

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

Head of Government--Governor Sir David Clive WILSON (since 9April 1987);Chief Secretary Sir David Robert FORD (since NA February 1987)

_#_Suffrage: direct election--universal at age 21as a permanent resident living in the territory of Hong Kong forthe past seven years; indirect election--limited to about 100,000professionals of electoral college and functional constituencies

_#_Elections:

Legislative Council--indirect elections last held 12 September 1991and direct elections held 15 September 1991 (next to be held bySeptember 1995);results--percent of vote by party NA;seats--(60 total;21 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 18 directly elected,18 appointed by governor, 3 ex officio members) indirectelections--number of seats by functional constituency NA; directelections--UDHK 12, Meeting Point 2, ADPL 1, other 3; note--directelections were held for the first time in September 1991

_#_Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrantwith the Hong Kong coat of arms on a white disk centered on the outerhalf of the flag; the coat of arms contains a shield (bearing two junksbelow a crown) held by a lion (representing the UK) and a dragon(representing China) with another lion above the shield and a bannerbearing the words HONG KONG below the shield

_*_Economy_#_Overview: Hong Kong has a free market economy with few tariffsor nontariff barriers. Natural resources are limited, and food and rawmaterials must be imported. Manufacturing accounts for about 18% ofGDP, employs 28% of the labor force, and exports about 90% of itsoutput. Real GDP growth averaged a remarkable 8% in 1987-88, thenslowed to 2.5-3.0% in 1989-90. Unemployment, which has been decliningsince the mid-1980s, is now less than 2%. A shortage of labor continuesto put upward pressure on prices and the cost of living. Short-termprospects remain solid so long as major trading partners continue to beprosperous. The crackdown in China in 1989-90 casts a long shadow overthe longer term economic outlook.

_#_Environment: almost totally covered with grasses, prostrate vines,and low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center; lacks freshwater; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds,shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats

_#_Note: remote location 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu in the NorthPacific Ocean, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaiiand Australia

_*_People_#_Population: uninhabited

_#_Note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air andnaval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during WorldWar II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-usepermit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators

_*_Government_#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fishand Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of theNational Wildlife Refuge System

_*_Economy_#_Overview: no economic activity

_*_Communications_#_Airports: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refuelingstop on the round-the-world flight of Amelia Earhart and FredNoonan--they left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island, but were neverseen again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable

_#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area alongthe middle of the west coast

_#_Note: Earhart Light is a day beacon near the middle of the westcoast that was partially destroyed during World War II, but has sincebeen rebuilt in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart

_*_Defense Forces_#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annuallyby the US Coast Guard_%__@_Hungary_*_Geography_#_Total area: 93,030 km2; land area: 92,340 km2

_#_Organized labor: 96.5% of labor force; Central Council of HungarianTrade Unions (SZOT) includes 19 affiliated unions, all controlled by thegovernment; independent unions legal; may be as many as 12 smallindependent unions in operation

_#_Constitution: 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensures legal rights forindividuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the primeminister and established the principle of parliamentary oversight

_#_Legal system: in process of revision, moving toward rule of lawbased on Western model

President last held 3 August 1990 (next to be held August 1995);elected by the National Assembly with a total of 294 votes out of 304;President GONCZ was elected by the National Assembly as interim Presidentfrom 2 May 1990 until elected President;

_*_Economy_#_Overview: Agriculture is an important sector, providing sizableexport earnings and meeting domestic food needs. Industry accounts forabout 40% of GNP and 30% of employment. About 40% of Hungary's foreigntrade is with the USSR and Eastern Europe and a third is with the EC.Low rates of growth reflect the inability of the Soviet-style economy tomodernize capital plant and motivate workers. GNP declined by 1% in 1989and by an estimated 6% in 1990. Since 1985 external debt has more thandoubled, to over $20 billion. In recent years Hungary has experimentedwidely with decentralized and market-oriented enterprises. The newlydemocratic government has renounced the Soviet economic growth model andplans to open the economy to wider market forces and to much closereconomic relations with Western Europe. Prime Minister Antall hasdeclared his intention to move foward on privatization of stateenterprises, provision for bankruptcy, land reform, and marketization ofinternational trade, but concerns over acceptable levels of unemploymentand inflation may slow the reform process.

_#_Flag: blue with a red cross outlined in white that extends to theedges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoistside in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

_*_Economy_#_Overview: Iceland's prosperous Scandinavian-type economy isbasically capitalistic, but with extensive welfare measures, lowunemployment, and comparatively even distribution of income. The economyis heavily dependent on the fishing industry, which provides nearly 75%of export earnings. In the absence of other natural resources, Iceland'seconomy is vulnerable to changing world fish prices. As a result ofclimbing fish prices in 1990 and a noninflationary labor agreement,Iceland is pulling out of a recession, which began in mid-1988 with asharp decline in fish prices and an imposition of quotas on fish catchesto conserve stocks. Inflation was down sharply from 20% in 1989to 8% in 1990.

_#_Language: Hindi, English, and 14 other official languages--Bengali,Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya,Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; 24 languages spoken bya million or more persons each; numerous other languages and dialects,for the most part mutually unintelligible; Hindi is the national languageand primary tongue of 30% of the people; English enjoys associate statusbut is the most important language for national, political, andcommercial communication; Hindustani, a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu, isspoken widely throughout northern India

People's Assembly--last held 21 May, 12 and 15 June1991 (next to be held by November 1996);results--percent of vote by party NA;seats--(545 total), 509 elected--Congress (I) Party 225,Bharatiya Janata Party 117,Janata Dal Party 55,Communist Party of India (Marxist) 35,Communist Party of India 13,Telugu Desam 12,AIADMK 11,Samajwadi Janata Party 5,Shiv Sena 4,RSP 4,BSP 1,Congress (S) Party 1, other 26; note--second and third rounds ofvoting were delayed because of the assassination of CongressPresident Rajiv GANDHI on 21 May 1991

_#_Communists: 466,000 members claimed by CPI, 361,000 members claimedby CPI/M; Communist extremist groups, about 15,000 members

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abid HUSSEIN;Chancery at 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;telephone (202) 939-7000; there are Indian Consulates General inChicago, New York, and San Francisco;

US--Ambassador William CLARK, Jr.; Embassy at Shanti Path,Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi; telephone [91] (11) 600651; there are USConsulates General in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras

_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, andgreen with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the whiteband; similar to the flag of Niger which has a small orange disk centeredin the white band

_*_Economy_#_Overview: India's economy is a mixture of traditionalvillage farming and handicrafts, modern agriculture, old and new branchesof industry, and a multitude of support services. It presents both theentrepreneurial skills and drives of the capitalist system andwidespread government intervention of the socialist mold. Growth of 4%to 5% annually in the 1980s has softened the impact of population growthon unemployment, social tranquility, and the environment. Agriculturaloutput has continued to expand, reflecting the greater use of modernfarming techniques and improved seed that have helped to make Indiaself-sufficient in food grains and a net agricultural exporter. However,tens of millions of villagers, particularly in the south, have notbenefited from the green revolution and live in abject poverty. Industryhas benefited from a partial liberalization of controls. The growth rateof the service sector has also been strong. India, however, has beenchallenged more recently by much lower foreign exchange reserves, higherinflation, and a large debt service burden.